Brake lever

Abstract

A manually operated, cable control lever assembly especially adapted for use with a handlebar grip is provided with an elongate lever having one end thereof pivotally mounted to a support bracket which also restrains the movement of the control cable in a direction generally aligned with the lever. The lever is provided with: an essentially straight, internal cavity extending longitudinally therethrough and providing a first access opening in the free end of the lever; an attenuated, internal passageway in communication with the cavity and diverging away from the latter toward the free extremity of the lever and terminating in a second, recessed access opening; and, an access slot extending between the access openings and into the passageway. The end of a typical control cable provided with a keeper element is installed in the lever assembly by threading the keeper element through the cavity and out the first access opening and into the second access opening while the cable itself passes through the slot into operative position within the passageway. With the cable thusly installed, the end thereof is secured to the lever member at a point on the latter substantially spaced from the pivoting end thereof in order to place intermediate stretches of the lever member in force compression when the lever member is operated.

What is claimed and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is: 
     
       1. In a manually operated control lever assembly of the type including the combination of a support bracket secured to a handlebar or the like, an elongate lever member having one extremity thereof pivotally mounted on said support bracket and a shiftable control cable having one end thereof fastened to said lever member and biased away from said one extremity of said lever member in a direction generally aligned with the longitudinal axis of the latter, the improvement comprising: means associated with said lever member for confining a portion of the length of the control cable along the length of the lever,   said cable portion being substantially longitudinally coextensive with said lever member and having said one end thereof attached to said lever member adjacent the opposite extremity of the lever;   said means for confining the cable along the length of the lever including a first internal passageway in said lever and a second internal passageway in said lever communicating with the first passageway;   said lever member having an essentially straight stretch adjacent said one extremity thereof, said first passageway being substantially within said straight stretch and conforming thereto, and an arcuate stretch adjacent said opposite extremity thereof, said second passageway being substantially within said arcuate stretch and conforming thereto, whereby to produce a first curvature of the cable adjacent said opposite extremity of the lever member;   said cable portion functioning to transmit a tension force on said opposite extremity of the lever whereby to impose a compressive force on said lever member intermediate said extremities thereof;   said lever member further including an arcuately shaped cable ramp surface in said first passageway adjacent said one extremity of the lever and slidably engageable with a stretch of said control cable portion when the lever is operated whereby to produce a second curvature of the cable adjacent said one extremity and maximize the tension force upon the opposite extremity of the lever and thus the compressive force upon the lever intermediate its ends.   
     
     
       2. A mechanical control assembly comprising: a length of flexible control line; an elongate lever member for manipulating said control line and having a pivoting extremity and a free extremity,   said lever member having an elongate passageway therewithin extending substantially throughout the entire length thereof from adjacent said one pivoting extremity thereof to adjacent said free extremity thereof,   a portion of the length of said control line being trained through said passageway and shiftably confined within the latter; and   means for fastening one end of said control line adjacent said portion thereof to said lever member adjacent said free extremity of the latter,   said fastening means including a keeper element secured on said one end of said control line, said passageway comprising a cross section configuration of a type to allow said keeper element to pass therethrough, said lever member including;   a first opening in surface portions thereof adjacent said free extremity and in communication with said passageway,   a second opening in surface portions thereof longitudinally spaced from said first opening and toward said free extremity,   a recessed portion therein communicating with said second opening and adapted to receive said keeper element therewithin,   a slot extending from surface portions of said lever member into said passageway and between said first and second openings,   said first and second openings having cross sectional configurations of a type to allow passage of said keeper element therethrough,   said slot having a cross section configuration of a type to allow passage of said control line therethrough but preventing passage of said keeper element.